This is not just another NFT drop: How to help catapult gender equity in web3

On Wednesday, 3,050 NFTs 3,050 NFTs, in honor of the 305, will be dropped and minted  with the aim to onboard more women into the Web3 space. It’s a project of Web3 Equity led by Michelle Abbs, who is passionate about pursuing gender equity in web3 by increasing knowledge and resources for women investors, collectors and creators. As her website says, web3 is a very new technology a with a very old school problem in tech: not enough women.

Called The Tuttle Tribe, the NFT collection will honor Miami’s founding mother, Julia Tuttle. “We derive strength from her example of breaking the glass ceiling back in 1896, and embody her relentless spirit,” says Abbs. The collection celebrating female empowerment, digital wealth and Miami’s vibrant culture was created by a local Emmy-winning artist Amaranta Martinez, who goes by SUPERAMA. Web3 Equity will be dropping a collection, together with Mayor Francis Suarez and Gloria Fonts Suarez, Venture Miami, TradeStation and SUPERAMA, at a live event in the morning at the PAMM.

Buying an NFT from the collection –.05 ETH, and a maximum of 5 can be purchased by each person — will support the work of Web3 Equity, and you’ll be a member of the Web3 Equity tribe, which needs the support of male allies, too. “The event on March 16th is co-ed and we hope to see everyone there,” Abbs says.

Michelle Abbs, founder of Web3 Equity and an executive at Metagood

Web3 Equity is all about the education, so women don’t get left behind. Abbs is not new to this mission.  A former teacher, she also directed Miami’s Babson WIN Lab accelerator for female founders and was a director for Mana Tech, helping to build the tech community. She’s now vice president of community and education at the apply named Metagood, a Web3 organizations that puts powers social impact with funds from NFTs.

There’s a sense of urgency behind Web3 Equity’s mission because the emerging Web3 space is already showing a woeful lack of gender diversity. Nationally, according to ArtTactic, women make up just 16% of the NFT art market. What’s more, over two-thirds of US cryptocurrency investors are men, about 60% of them white.

In a Twitter thread, Abbs noted that on her own journey diving into Web3, when she envisioned and executed the largest NFT conference during Art Basel, NFT BZL (with one of the most diverse set of speakers I have seen at a tech conference), she met hundreds of NFT leaders and 80% were men. Groups forming in our community have been mirroring those stats, including the popular jpegmorgan.

Achieving gender equity means male allies must do their part, Abbs says. “Support is an action verb,” she tweeted. Ways to do this: Buy a Tuttle Tribe NFT to support the mission or gift one to a female you admire, participate and sponsor Web3 Equity events, and most of all take the time to help and encourage more women in the space.

“To my knowledge we are the only group doing this,” Abbs told me from SXSW, where she is a speaker. “Our mission is to ensure gender equity in web3. We do that as an educational community. To achieve that everyone on the gender spectrum must take part. We have affinity groups and safe spaces for women to learn together, we have co-ed gatherings and we will have programming for male allies.”

Since January, when Abbs opened a Telegram space for Web3Equity, more than 500 women have already joined. It’s become a safe space for newcomers to NFTs to ask questions and for everyone to share tips and resources and learn from one another.  

Since then, Web3 Equity has also held several IRL events sponsored by Sandbox, OneOf, Superworld, Brex and SVB, amongst others. It has partnered with Republic Realm to sponsor 10 women for its upcoming Metaverse Academy, and partnered with BrainStation for developer scholarships. In the months to come, Web3 Equity plans to  add more webinars, IRL workshops, retreats, merch, conference discounts and scholarships.

The Miami metro area is already among the national leaders in web3 venture capital and job postings and aspires to be the crypto capital. Abbs is hoping #MiamiTech will lead the way in gender equity in web3.

RSVP to the March 16 event here. Find out more about Web3 Equity here. Minting begins at 9 am March 16 for those who reserved and opens at 9 for the public.

Follow Nancy Dahlberg on Twitter @ndahlberg  and email her at [email protected]

READ MORE ON REFRESH: At NFT BZL, Miami shines as crypto capital

Nancy Dahlberg